Eileen Rife is a veteran homeschool mom and author of several nonfiction books, including Wit & Wisdom from the Wee Ones (OakTara), as well as five fiction titles: The Born for India trilogy (Journey to Judah, Restored Hearts, and Chosen Ones), Second Chance, and Laughing with Lily. Her byline has appeared in numerous magazines, including Marriage Partnership, Light & Life, Mature Living, On Mission, Discipleship Journal, and Christian Home & School. She and her husband, Chuck, conduct marriage seminars and speak on a variety of topics for church groups and organizations in the States and overseas.Please tell the readers about your novel.Who or what was your inspiration behind it.

A long-buried secret. An unexpected encounter. A quest for answers.

Celeste Tatem, a special-education teacher at The Brighton Center in Schreiber, Indiana, couldn’t be more in love with her husband, Joe. But the memory of one day in the past haunts her, threatening their relationship. When Joe dies in a factory explosion, she sinks into depression. It will take the arrival of a new student, Lily, and her delightful honesty, laughter, and joy at life’s little things to awaken Celeste to hope. When Don, an old flame from college, reenters Celeste’s world, the flickers of love stir once again, and startling questions arise. Questions that threaten to rip the veneer off of her carefully guarded secret. Then the most unexpected thing of all happens…. My heart has long been burdened for women who’ve aborted their babies. I wanted to profile this issue through my central characters.

How did you decide on the setting?

When choosing a setting, I typically start with places I’ve lived or visited. I wanted to revisit a setting where my husband and I shared our early marriage years. While Schreiber, Indiana is fictional, I drew inspiration from the little town where we lived and the special education classroom where I worked.

Did you need to do research?Yes, not so much in regard to the location, but for the details surrounding the story.What was the hardest part to write this novel? Researching medical protocol and the Department of Social Services in 1983 and then using what was sometimes obscure information to craft the realistic details of Celeste’s and Lily’s circumstances.

What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?The graveyard scene. I can’t say why or I’d give too much away.

How did you come up with the title? When I first brainstormed story ideas, I thought of a plot line based on my bubbly granddaughter, Kylie—how she makes me laugh. As characters and story line formed in my mind, the title easily emerged. While the plot is a mix of tragedy, intrigue (with many twists and turns), Lily provides the necessary shots of laughter at life’s little things while providing a greater glimpse into the hope God offers in the midst of dire circumstances.

I'm sure many readers are interested in learning more about you. Do you have a homepage where they can do so? Eileen at www.eileenrife.com, www.eileen-rife.blogspot.com, and www.guardyourmarriage.com.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EileenRifeBooks?ref=ts&fref=ts Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laughing-Lily-Eileen-Hinkle-Rife/dp/1602900795/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1366042318&sr=8-1&keywords=laughing+with+lily Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/laughing-with-lily-eileen-hinkle-rife/1115099195?ean=9781602900790OakTara: http://www.oaktara.com/EileenHinkleRife

Today, I’m interviewing James R. Callan who has just published a book on character development titled Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel. Before we get to the interview, I want to tell everyone a little about the man behind the book. After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published several non-fiction books. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mysteries, with his fourth book released in February 2013.

James, since you normally write mystery/suspense novels, how did this book come about? I had given several workshops on character development, so when a publisher asked me to write a book on thesubject, I jumped at the opportunity.How long did it take to write the book, including preliminary work?The preliminary work came from the workshops I had given on the subject. I spent about four months working on it. Of course, I was working on a suspense novel at the same time, so the character book didn’t get all that time.

What was the hardest part in writing Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel?

The hardest part was to keep it down to twenty thousand words, which is what the publisher wanted. I believe so strongly that character development is the heart of the novel that I could easily have written forty thousand words on the subject.One of the chapters is on naming characters. Why is that so important?

I believe the naming of characters is very important. The name is the first impression that the reader gets of your character. And we all know how important first impressions are. Pick a name that puts into the mind of your reader the impression you want. Imagine if Scarlett O’Hara were named Jane Doe. Would you have started out with a very different impression of the heroine?I agree with you James. I know when I write, if the name doesn’t feel right for the character imagine, I can’t get into the story line. You call character the heartbeat of the novel, what about the plot? I talk about the importance of the plot. It is the engine of the book. Without a good plot, the book goes nowhere. But, the characters are the heart of the novel. Without memorable characters, you don’t care about the book. Ask yourself, what is it that propels a reader to read book after book in a series? The author crafts a character that you want to follow a character you care about.What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?There are many chapters I think are extremely important. But if I need to pick just one, I think I might pick the chapter on internalization. When we hear what the character is thinking, we can believe that is a true reflectionof the character. When you talk to yourself, when no one else can hear, you don’t need to lie. Your true feelings come out. And the writer has the opportunity to give the reader the true nature of a character through internalization. And the reader will believe it. Of course, there are limits on how this is used, and I talk about those in the book.How did you come up with the title, Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel?I believe characters are the heart of the novel, or should be. So, I wanted is put that in the title. The publisher came up with a great cover, using an electrocardiogram as the background.Any last words on this book? In addition, I'm sure many readers are interested in learning more about you and your books. Do you have a homepage where they can do so?Yes, I do. The book has lots of examples of how to create memorable characters. And most chapters end with an exercise to help develop these interesting characters. I invite all your readers to visit: http://www.jamesrcallan.com where they can find information on all my books, plus reviews of them.

Lastly, I want to thank you for having me on your site. It is my pleasure to visit with you today.I enjoyed having you on my blog and learning a bit from your expertise;your book will help all of us authors to become better writers. I’m sure the readers found your answers helpful also.

It's a pleasure to have Tayna Eavenson on my blog this week. I hope everyone enjoys learning about her and her wonderful novel as much as I did. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Tanya Eavenson and her husband have been involved in ministry for fifteen years teaching youth and adults. Tanya enjoys spending time with her husband, and their three children. Her favorite pastime is grabbing a cup of coffee, eating chocolate, and reading a good book. Tanya is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and writes for Christ to the World Ministries sharing the Gospel around the world.

Please tell the readers about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it.What inspired me? Brokenness I guess you could say. Brokenness for families, children, and what happens when couples divorce. Many families, churched or un-churched, find themselves struggling in their marriages for one reason or another, but God wants them to fight to save their marriages and families.

I grew up in a family were divorce is common, like most people today, with the idea once you “fall” out of love, and you can’t get along anymore, it’s time to get a divorce. It was almost engraved in me witnessing everyone in my family get divorced one time or many times. I, too, almost went down that route with divorce papers in hand. I told myself many things at the time, but the truth. I was focused on our failures, not the hope that with God, all things are possible. The question was, were we willing to save our marriage at all costs? Would we fight for each other, whether we felt like it or not?

The story opens in a situation some married couples might find themselves in, losing a child, being in a loveless marriage, hurt by feelings of abandonment, adultery. To fight for the marriage at any cost or give up. In my story, as in real life, there is a choice.

Here’s the blurb for Unconditional.

He will fight for her at any cost… Elizabeth Roberts can't remember her past, and the present is too painful. She turns to nightclubs and drinking to forget her infant daughter's death, her husband's affair.

When his wife's coma wiped out the memory of their marriage, Chris Roberts found comfort elsewhere. He can't erase his betrayal, but with God's help he’s determined to fight for Elizabeth at any cost.

She wants to forget. He wants to save his marriage. Can they trust God with their future and find a love that’s unconditional?Tanya, how long did it take to write the book, including preliminary work? About two years.Many authors say the novel has a voice all its own. Did the plot change once your characters started forming the story? Oh, yes! I’m a seat-of-the-pant-writer so my characters changed on me and even some wanted to take over my story. I had to remind them who was in charge. =)What was the hardest part to write this novel?The emotions were the hardest to write, to put myself into my character’s lives and feel what they felt. Marriage is hard, and sometimes it takes a willingness to give up our pride and fight to save a marriage at all costs.If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

This week it’s my pleasure to introduce author Deanna K. Klingel she lives in the mountains of western North Carolina. Deanna writes mostly middle grade and YA. She enjoys traveling with her books, gardening, golf, and dogs.

Deanna tell the readers about your novel. Who or what was your inspiration behind it?

Cracks in the Ice, is a teen fiction. It’s the story of Gina Mangalli, the niece of a mafia don, who has the dream of Olympic gold as a figure skater. She is close to the realization of her dream when tragedy derails her. As many athletes, Gina loses her identity off the ice. In her case, it’s literally true as she enters witness protection. As events in the skating world unfold she is buried in grief and guilt. Spiraling into despair, Gina becomes a young alcoholic. Two people who never give up on her are able to return her to the church of her childhood where she rediscovers she is a child of God, beautiful and beloved, and able to move on. She learns there are other victories beside gold medals. I’m not at all sure where the inspiration came from or why I chose this subject. I think identity and teen alcoholism are both important issues. There are many athletes in the media who lose focus of what’s important in the spotlight of fame and glory, and drinking is often portrayed as an acceptable means to cope. I think it’s important to look at the dark side as openly as we look at the fun side. But, this isn’t a dark or gloomy novel; it’s a novel of hope and reinvention.Many main characters are a reflection of the author or somebody the author knows. Are there any tidbits that you’ve put into your characters, which mimic people around you? Not really. Gina’s personality as a youngster probably has some of me, though my life was nothing like hers. A writer I know who is working on her memoir shared what it was like to be a little girl with alcoholic parents and worrying whether mom would be sober for the birthday party. I think I took her story to heart. The skating world in Gina’s day was glamorous and interesting. I thought it would make a good story.

Deanna, “Cracks in the Ice” sounds fascinating How did you decide on the setting? Did you need to do research?

Yes, I did do a lot of research. I knew nothing about the lives of skaters, or alcoholism. The research landed me in the settings. Wyandotte, MI, was the center of the mafia in the early 50’s. Broadmoor Training Facility in Colorado Springs would have been the training center of choice for someone like Gina.

Authors say the novel has a voice all its own. Did the plot change once your characters started forming the story?

The story didn’t start out to be about alcoholism. It started out to be about vintage ice skating. But once Gina started growing into her character and sharing her angst with me, her loneliness, her physical pain, she moved into her late teens, made a rash decision which she regretted, and oh my goodness, look what happened to her! She never saw that coming. Neither did I. And I think that’s exactly how it is for families, the teens and their parents. They never see it coming.What was the hardest part to write writing this novel?

The hardest part of writing this novel was the multiple viewpoints. I rewrote it several times, tried several approaches, and finally realized that the dynamics are such in this story that one view point cannot iron out the complexities. Fame, tragedy, and alcoholism don’t just touch the subject. They touch everyone who loves that person and in very different ways. Gina couldn’t get out of this alone. Everyone needed to be involved and everyone needed to be heard.Which did you create first, the plot or the characters? I created the ice skater first, put her into a mafia family. Created her family and their home. Then the plot revealed itself to me.What was your favorite chapter, or part, to write and why?I loved writing Gina in the training center dorm with the other girls. I admire how she handled their backstabbing; makes me smile. Go, Gina! I liked the drama of Irena’s defection and how Gina is able to use her early knowledge of covertness to advantage. It’s amusing. I like the tenderness of Ziggy/Michael, explaining how he loves her. Maybe I like the very end the best because there is such hope for Gina when only a few chapters earlier it looked so grim. The woman has spunk!Deanna we’ve all enjoyed learning about you writing, is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers about your books, or you personally? Only that you will always find hope in my books. You will not find profanity, overt sexuality, and you won’t find immorality celebrated. I write for a younger audience and I think they deserve the very best literature we can give them. I try to give them characters to emulate and God moments to think about.If you had to go back and do it all over, is there any aspect of your novel or getting it published that you would change?

No, not at all. I’m happy with the story. The first publisher that saw it liked it and when her staff read it they told her it was the best story she’d published. The publisher might be second thinking it at this point as it is very slow to get into the market. I’m having trouble finding a teen Christian market. Perhaps it would have gone out faster as women’s fiction. I don’t know. I need to find some Christian teen book clubs. Know any?Deanna, Good Reads has one that would probably be a good avenue for your novel.Readers if you know of any Christian youth book clubs around comment and let us know. I’m sure many readers are interested in learning more about you. Do you have a homepage where they can do so? I’d love to hear from readers. There are places to leave comments on my website, www.BooksByDeanna.com. I’m also on Facebook. Thank you for having me, I’ve enjoyed it.

It has indeed been a pleasure to learn more about your novel. Much success to come.

After fourteen years of hard work, Sherrie Ashcraft and Christina Berry Tarabochia are thrilled to announce the release of their novel, On the Threshold. Interested in how a mother and daughter can write a book together? Want a chance at winning a Kindle and a business card design from a top-notch company? Keep reading! Why did you ladies begin writing this book? Both of us had always talked about writing a book, but fourteen years ago Sherrie said if we were ever going to write, maybe we should work on a book together. It would hold us accountable. We lived on different sides of the state of Oregon at the time, so we did a lot of it via e-mail, and once a month Sherrie would make the 250-mile drive to Christina's house and we'd work on it in person. We wanted to share a real look at depression and trying to be good enough to please God--what that might look like in a family's life. Fourteen years? Really? That's from the first word penned. The very first contest we entered, we actually talked about how we needed to decide how to fight off all the editors who'd be making offers. Instead, we found out we had a lot to learn! Attending writing conferences and reading craft books brought our writing to a higher level. Tell us about On the Threshold. We loved having the chance to tell this story! In fact, we have a few more stories to tell about these characters if readers love this one. Here's what the book is about. Suzanne—a mother with a long-held secret. Tony—a police officer with something to prove. Beth—a daughter with a storybook future. When all they love is lost, what's worth living for? Suzanne Corbin and her daughter, Beth Harris, live a seemingly easy life. Suzanne has distanced herself from her past, replacing pain with fulfillment as a wife and mother, while Beth savors her husband’s love and anticipates the birth of their child. But all that is about to change. Like a sandcastle buffeted by ocean waves, Suzanne’s façade crumbles when her perfect life is swept away. Tragedy strikes and police officer Tony Barnett intersects with the lives of both women as he tries to discover the truth. Left adrift and drowning in guilt long ignored, Suzanne spirals downward into paralyzing depression. Beth, dealing with her own grief, must face the challenge of forgiveness. Can these two women learn to trust each other again? Will they find the power of God’s grace in their lives? And a little about you? Mother/daughter writing team Sherrie Ashcraft and Christina Berry Tarabochia bring a voice of authenticity to this novel as they have experienced some of the same issues faced by these characters. They like to say they were separated at birth but share one brain, which allows them to write in a seamless stream. Both live in NW Oregon and love spending time together. Many years ago, they were both on a winning Family Feud team! Sherrie is the Women's Ministry Director at her church, and loves being the grandma of eight and great-grandma of one. Christina is also the author of The Familiar Stranger, a Christy finalist and Carol Award winner, and runs a thriving editing business. Please sign up for their Infrequent, Humorous Newsletter at Ashberry Lane for a chance to win cool prizes. What about this contest? If you help get the word out, you can earn different points for each thing you do, and every point represents an entry in the contest. Say, for example, you name your next child “Threshold” in honor of our book. You would earn 100 points (entries), which would greatly increase your likelihood of winning. Fine print to be read as quickly as those medical side effects are glossed over on TV: A certified copy of the birth certificate must be sent to Ashberry Lane proving the child was born between now and when the contest ends on June 30rd at 10 PM, PDT. Some restrictions apply, such as you must also promise not to change the child’s name to anything else for at least the next fifteen years. You are, however, allowed to use “Thresh” as his or her first name, and “Hold” as the middle. If that seems like we’re asking a little too much, there are other ways for you to enter the contest. ~ Post about On the Threshold on Twitter or LinkedIn, or share the cover on Instagram or Pinterest, and you’ve doubled your points to TWO. ~ Refer someone to sign up for the newsletter. If he or she notes you as referrer, guess what? You just earned THREE points. ~ Blog about it and reap FOUR points. (We’re available for more blog interviews.) ~ And for those who buy the book (e-book or print copy), you will gain FIVE points. ~ Leave a review—positive or negative—on a retailing site after reading the book, and TEN points to you! All you have to do to enter is drop us an email to Christina [at] ashberrylane [dot] net with a description of what you did. We trust you. Here is a sample email: Dear Sherrie and Christina, Fortunately, my last name is Hold, so when my triplets were born yesterday, all I had to do was name them "On," "The," and "Thresh." (Yes, that makes a double "h," but without it, the name just looks silly and I don't want a kid with a funny name.) I also got the cover of On the Threshold tattooed on my arm, took a picture of it, and posted it on every possible social media site, including Facebook, though I understand I don't get points for anything done on there. Next, I forwarded the Infrequent, Humorous Newsletter to a few of my friends and ALL of my enemies. After reading the book in two hours, I posted an honest review on three different retail sites. Please enter my name 349 times. Love, Your #1 Fan Or something like that. :) Where else can we find you gals online? Buy the book on Amazon or B&N or iTunes or in any other version on Smashwords. The print book will be available shortly--sign up for the newsletter and you'll be among the first to know when it appears on all the big retailing sites OR email us about buying a paperback directly from us. (Christina [at] ashberrylane [dot] net) www.twitter.com/authorchristinawww.facebook.com/sherrie.ashcraftwww.facebook.com/authorchristinawww.christinaberry.net/www.authorchristinaberry.blogspot.com Thanks for hosting us!